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effector: n, Computer Sci. A device for producing a desired
change.
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* Celebrate EFF's Sweet 16 on January 11 in San Francisco!
All teenagers have big dreams for their sweet 16, and EFF's
no different: we want to throw the Best Party Ever, we want
a new car, and we want to secure your digital rights.
We're kidding about the car, but please do join EFF for a
birthday bash to celebrate 16 years fighting for your
rights. The party will be on January 11, 7-10 PM, at 111
Minna Gallery in San Francisco. DJ Ripley and Kid Kameleon
will be keeping the dance floor hopping all night long.
A $20 donation gets you in the door. No one will be turned
away for lack of funds, and all proceeds go toward our work
defending your digital freedom.
What:
EFF Sweet 16 Party
When:
January 11, 2007
7-10 PM
Where:
111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA
94105
www.111minnagallery.com
Tel: (415) 974-1719
This fundraiser is open to the general public. 21+ only,
cash bar.
Please RSVP to events@eff.org
For DJ Ripley:
http://djripley.blogspot.com/
For Kid Kameleon:
http://www.kidkameleon.com/
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* EFF Backs DontDateHimGirl.com in Defamation Case
Controversial Website Shielded by Federal Law Protecting
Internet Free Speech
Pittsburgh - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urged
a Pennsylvania court to dismiss defamation claims against
the controversial website DontDateHimGirl.com, arguing that
federal law shields the website from liability to protect
the free flow of information online.
DontDateHimGirl.com was created by Tasha Joseph as a forum
for women to share information about men. One of the men
discussed on the site, Todd J. Hollis, claims that some
participants posted defamatory statements about him on the
website. In its amicus brief, EFF argues that
DontDateHimGirl.com's owner cannot be held liable for
comments written by others under Section 230 of the
Communications Decency Act. Section 230 specifically
protects hosts of interactive computer services from
liability to encourage free discourse and robust debate.
"The Internet allows people all over the world to share
information and diverse opinions. Without Section 230, no
one would risk creating a website where others express
ideas," said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. "This
doesn't mean that people like Hollis can't pursue
defamation cases. They can. But they should sue the person
who made the statement in the first place, not the person
who created the forum where it was made."
Nearly every court that has considered Section 230 has
recognized the intent of the law and shielded website
operators from liability. EFF has provided amicus support
in a number of lawsuits, including one that recently held
that Craigslist was not responsible for the content of
posts made by the public.
"Section 230 is key to fostering vital debate and
discussion across the Internet. Craigslist and other online
communities are thriving because of its protection," said
EFF Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl.
The amicus brief was also signed by the Center for
Democracy and Technology (CDT) and the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania.
For the full amicus brief:
http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/ddhg/joseph_amicus_final.pdf
For this release:
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2006_12.php#005052
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* Privacy Office Slams Secure Flight Testing
Without informing the public, the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) has for years assigned "risk assessments" to
millions of people as they enter or leave the country. The
Automated Targeting System (ATS) is precisely the sort of
system that Congress sought to prohibit with the Privacy
Act of 1974.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that the
government has failed to properly disclose an invasive
travel screening program. According to a report recently
released by the DHS Privacy Office, the Transportation
Security Administration (TSA) misrepresented how it handled
commercial data while testing the controversial Secure
Flight program. The Privacy Office's report, which comes a
year and a half after TSA's misdeeds became known, states:
"However well-meaning, material changes in a federal
program's design that have an impact on the collection,
use, and maintenance of personally identifiable information
of American citizens are required to be announced in
Privacy Act system notices and privacy impact assessments."
Let's hope it doesn't take the Privacy Office a year and a
half to decide whether ATS violates the Privacy Act as
well.
Read more about the Privacy Office's report:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005051.php#005051
For more on ATS:
http://www.eff.org/privacy/travel
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* Help EFF Investigate Invasive Travel Screening Program
EFF has filed formal comments opposing ATS and filed suit
against DHS in federal court, demanding immediate answers
about this unprecedented data-mining system deployed on
American travelers. We would also appreciate your help in
documenting the system's effect on law-abiding individuals.
If you have experienced difficulties when entering or
leaving the United States, we'd like to hear from you. We
are particularly interested in hearing from folks who have
had repeated problems or have been told by government
agents that they are on a "list" or that there is some
unexplained "problem" that needs to be resolved. Please
share your story with us by writing to and
providing as much detail as possible. We will treat all
responses confidentially and may contact you to follow-up.
For more on ATS:
http://www.eff.org/privacy/travel
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* At Year's End, Darknet Still Beats DRM
Way back in November 2002, a set of Microsoft's senior-most
security engineers wrote a paper that has come to be known
as "the Darknet Paper." The paper explained why digital
rights management (DRM) restrictions for popular
entertainment content would never stop piracy, so long as
three assumptions remained true:
1. Any widely distributed object will be available to a
fraction of users in a form that permits copying.
2. Users will copy objects if it is possible and
interesting to do so.
3. Users are connected by high-bandwidth channels.
As we ring in 2007, here are a few year-end stories that
illustrate, yet again, that the Darknet assumptions remain
vividly, indisputably, true.
Assumption #1: DRM for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray was reportedly
broken. All it takes is one leak, and DRM always leaks.
Assumption #2: In 2006, 2.6 billion blank CDs were sold as
compared to 588 million CDs of recorded music, says the
Philadelphia Inquirer. Apple has sold a total of
approximately 80 million iPods. Audio and video features
are now a standard feature on hard-drive enclosures and in
network attached storage (NAS) solutions; in fact,
inexpensive routers and NAS enclosures now include Bit
Torrent clients, so that the downloading can continue, even
when your computer is turned off.
Assumption #3: A year-end review of trends in file-sharing,
courtesy of Seattle Weekly, explains that users aren't just
relying on P2P networks anymore, thanks to MP3 blogs,
YouTube (now downloadable, thanks to software tools),
MySpace (again, downloadable), CD-Rs, and wireless sharing.
And, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, 78% of American
Internet users now have high-speed connections at home, up
from 65% in 2005.
For this post and related links:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005053.php
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* Feds Shut Down E-voting Certification Lab
Colorado-based Ciber, Inc., the largest laboratory that
tests software used in U.S. voting systems, has been
temporarily banned from approving new systems following
problems discovered last summer by the Election Assistance
Commission (EAC). In July, EAC began a new oversight
program that increased the level of scrutiny that
independent testing authorities ("ITAs") must satisfy in
order to be able to review candidate voting systems. The
EAC found that Ciber was not following proper quality-
control procedures and could not document that it was
conducting all the required tests. Ciber's renewed petition
for accreditation is currently under EAC review.
The ITA review process, largely closed and funded by voting
machine vendors themselves, is regularly criticized for its
lack of transparency and procedures that are insufficient
to ensure that systems are accurate and secure.
For this post and related links:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005054.php
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* EFF at CES and Macworld Next Week
Want to get the latest on how the next line of gadgets will
impact your digital rights? Stay tuned to EFF's blog next
week as we come to you live from the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. We'll cover the good, the bad,
and the ugly -- the amazing devices that will help you get
more from your media, the DRM-laden tools down the pike,
and the devices that are nowhere to be found because of the
entertainment industry's needless restrictions.
Learn more about CES:
http://www.cesweb.org
EFF will also be at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San
Francisco, California, on January 9-12. We'll be in booth
3102, so please stop by and grab some swag during exhibit
hours -- we look forward to seeing you!
For more about Macworld:
http://www.macworldexpo.com
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* Nominate a Pioneer for EFF's 2007 Pioneer Awards!
EFF established the Pioneer Awards to recognize leaders on
the electronic frontier who are extending freedom and
innovation in the realm of information technology. This is
your opportunity to nominate a deserving individual or
group to receive a Pioneer Award for 2007.
The International Pioneer Awards nominations are open both
to individuals and organizations from any country.
Nominations are reviewed by a panel of judges chosen for
their knowledge of the technical, legal, and social issues
associated with information technology.
How to Nominate Someone for a 2007 Pioneer Award:
You may send as many nominations as you wish, but please
use one email per nomination. Please submit your entries
via email to pioneer@eff.org. We will accept nominations
until January 15, 2007.
Simply tell us:
1. The name of the nominee,
2. The phone number or email address or website by which
the nominee can be reached, and, most importantly,
3. Why you feel the nominee deserves the award.
Nominee Criteria:
There are no specific categories for the EFF Pioneer
Awards, but the following guidelines apply:
1. The nominees must have contributed substantially to the
health, growth, accessibility, or freedom of computer-based
communications.
2. To be valid, all nominations must contain your reason,
however brief, for nominating the individual or
organization and a means of contacting the nominee. In
addition, while anonymous nominations will be accepted,
ideally we'd like to contact the nominating parties in case
we need further information.
3. The contribution may be technical, social, economic, or
cultural.
4. Nominations may be of individuals, systems, or
organizations in the private or public sectors.
5. Nominations are open to all (other than current members
of EFF's staff and board or this year's award judges), and
you may nominate more than one recipient. You may also
nominate yourself or your organization.
6. Persons or representatives of organizations receiving an
EFF Pioneer Award will be invited to attend the ceremony at
EFF's expense.
More on the EFF Pioneer Awards:
http://www.eff.org/awards/pioneer/
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* miniLinks
The week's noteworthy news, compressed.
~ BackUpHDDVD Tool Explained by Author
Coder maps out the holes in HD-DVD's DRM.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/03/what-exactly-does-backuphddvd-do-oh-and-version-1-0-is-release/
~ Roll Your Own DRMed DVDs
Studios allow download-to-burn movie services, but only if
consumers purchase special blank DVDs and DVD burners.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_en_bu/movie_downloading
~ Hollywood Reporter Predicts Music DRM's Imminent Demise
"In 2007, the majors will get the message, and the DRM wall
will begin to crumble."
http://news.com.com/Ailing+music+biz+set+to+relax+digital+restrictions/2100-1025_3-6146478.html
~ FCC Approves AT&T-BellSouth Merger
After claiming "network neutrality" could not be defined,
AT&T agrees to protect it for a limited time.
http://news.com.com/2100-1036_3-6146369.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-5&subj=news
~ What Can't They Warrantlessly Surveil?
President's signing statement claims your postal mail can
be searched without a warrant; Fourth Amendment raises a
skeptical eyebrow.
http://www.eff.org/
Editor:
Derek Slater, Activist
derek@eff.org
Membership & donation queries:
membership@eff.org
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